Nick: As time moves on and our industry grows larger, the need for the packaging leaders of tomorrow is always present. Many future engineers, designers, marketers, managers, and more can be found studying packaging science at various universities across the globe. Lucky for us, one of the US’s premier packaging science programs is located just down the road from us at Clemson University. We took a trip to campus recently to meet with some representatives from the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics to learn more about a special program called BrownBox Agency—a student-run organization that allows students to work on projects directly with real companies.
Dr. Hurley: So, let's talk about some of these industry opportunities. Can you tell us, at the institute, what can industry get involved with?
Haley Appleby: Sonoco Institute is uniquely positioned on Clemson University's campus to really try to bring together the Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences and the Department of Graphic Communications—all under one innovative teaching and research and industry roof as a big hub. And one of the really great new services that we offer is this Brown Box agency, and it's where we work, our undergraduate and graduate students work—it’s a student-led, student-driven design agency for industry companies that need a package solution. They can come in, they work with our students and get turnkey solutions to their packaging needs. It's an incredible opportunity for students to work alongside industry to get this kind of design experience, to be paid, and to put things into their portfolio. So, it seems like such an obvious win-win. It's a win for the program, a win for the students, and a win for industry.
Dr. Hurley: So, Pierce, you've worked in industry, you've had some packaging jobs, you've been doing this and managing this for a bit now and interacting with lots of clients. What have clients at Brown Box told you that they enjoyed about the process or any feedback that you can give on what that experience was like?
Pierce Hall: So, I think the biggest feedback that I've gotten from clients is definitely the fact that they really enjoy the student experience and the student aspect of it. And that there are undergraduate students and myself that are getting to work on real projects that they would see out in industry, and getting that experience early on. And that was, I think my biggest takeaway from conversations I've had with them—is just how much enjoyment that they're getting, that they know that something that they're working on is also providing a, you know, education aspect for the Brown Box Agency as a whole.
Maxwell Williams: I started with Brown Box just last semester. I was always interested in design and really wanting to work alongside companies and really expanding my resume as well. I used to intern in the prototyping lab, and I thought this was a really nice next step to get into that industry experience.
Dr. Hurley: What's it like to work with real industry clients?
Maxwell Williams: Yeah, it really gets you in a space where you're kind of prepared for that next step even after graduation. You're seeing what clients will want to improve what their company really needs. And we, as students, are kind of that first step to help them get to that point. So, it's really helping your experience before you step out, but also using what you're learning in class to be able to apply it in a real world situation.
Dr. Hurley: So you're a senior wrapping up your education, you're gonna graduate soon. What has Brown Box done for you in order to help you take that next step? Or how are you gonna leverage this experience and does it help you out in any way or make you more competitive, in your opinion?
Maxwell Williams: Absolutely. I really feel like I've been able to work a lot faster on my feet. Working with a bunch of different clients means there's a lot of different turnaround times, a lot of different projects alone. So I've really been able to expand what I need to work on and how fast I can work on it and meet those expectations that our clients really need. So, learning that early on in my career, I think, has been crucial.
Team building, leadership, all of that is aside from just the technical work, 'cause at some point, all of our students are going to have that level of understanding of what they have to do. So putting those other skills to use in an industry space is absolutely, I believe, putting me above or puts me at an advantage.
Haley Appleby: We hope that these students want to come in from a young age, and they stay with us as they continue to progress through their educational track. We also have multiple opportunities. So, Brown Box is just one of the paid internship opportunities that we have where students are working hands-on in our facilities. Each of our labs really has an opportunity for students to come in and get this internship experience.
So, we've got interns down in the print lab. They're both graphic communications and packaging science students getting a very different internship opportunity and experience than what maybe our Brown Box students would be doing. But then, we also have interns running just our general labs, and they're getting that management, that leadership, also have a lot of troubleshooting and, you know, hands-on experience running the equipment and managing it for the ongoing classes and labs that come through.
So, we have so many opportunities for students to get involved. And it's really kind of as they're willing to come in and learn, we're wanting to take them on and get them that exposure.
Nick: We’d like to thank Haley, Pierce, Maxwell, the Sonoco Institute, and Clemson University for taking the time to speak with us and sharing the awesome opportunities they are offering to the packaging professionals of tomorrow. If you’d like to learn more about BrownBox Agency, or if your organization would like to collaborate with the agency on a future project, you can visit their website with the link underneath this video.
